What Color Is the Element Iron?

What color is the element iron? The element iron is a metallic gray color or it could be described as silvery gray.  However, since it oxidizes so quickly, it can become reddish brown rapidly.  Let’s look at the element iron, its color, characteristics, where it is found, and what it is used for.    

There are a few different answers to what color the element iron is.

• The element iron is a silvery gray color when it is mined.
• It can turn a rusty color quickly. 
• Its symbol is Fe for the Latin word “ferrum”, and it boils at 5182° F and melts at 2800° F. 
• Since it oxidizes so quickly, it is not found on the earth’s crust but rather in mineral ores.  It is the iron oxide, or rust, which gives the planet Mars its reddish color.

Where Iron Is Found

Those curious about the color of the element iron may also wonder where iron can be found.

• Sources for iron are the minerals magnetite, hematite, taconite, siderite, and limonite. 
• Compared to other elements, iron is fairly abundant in the universe, in fact it is the sixth most abundant element. 
• It is found in a few classes of meteorites and in abundance in many stars and planets.  The earth’s core is mostly iron and it is the fourth most common element found in the earth’s crust.
• Iron is formed during nucleosynthesis in stars, which is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from protons and neutrons.
• During nucleosynthesis process, there is a silicon burning phase during which the iron is formed. 
• After this last phase, a star can then explode into a supernova.

Uses of Iron

The silvery colored iron element has many uses from biological applications to manufacturing. 

• It has been used on earth for at least 5000 years, although the lower-melting copper alloys were used first. 
• Cast iron was made using between 3 and 4½% carbon.  The carbon made it hard, but more brittle. 
• Before the making of steel was refined, an invention called the blast furnace used a blast of air to increase combustion. 
• Cast iron made in this way was called “pig iron” because the molten cast iron went through troughs and it looked like a mother pig nursing her piglets. 
• Pig iron has 3% carbon and is hard and brittle, but can be fused to produce steel. 
• Wrought iron only has a bit of carbon, less than 1%.  It is tough and easy to work with, but less fusible than pig iron.  

Iron and Steel

It takes a lot of iron to make steel. 

• Steel will have between 0.2% and 2.1% carbon, depending on the grade of the steel. 
• Carbon steel is made with an iron alloy with a small amount of sulfur, silicon, manganese, and phosphorus. 
• Alloy steels are carbon steels with the addition of small amounts of chromium, nickel, vanadium, and others. 

These small amounts of other elements add features to the steel.  For example, chromium will make the steel resist rust and will make it more durable (like in stainless steel), nickel also increases durability and makes it more resistant to corrosion and heat, and manganese makes it stronger and more resistant to wear. 

Other Uses for Iron

There are also biological uses for iron.

• Iron is necessary for plant and animal life.  It is present in the hemoglobin molecule and assists plants in the manufacture of chlorophyll.
• Iron sulfate is used in the treatment of anemia.
• If you mix iron oxide with aluminum powder, you can ignite it to make a thermite reaction.  This reaction is used in welding, purifying ores, and in fireworks.
• Iron is used in making magnets, electromagnets, paints, dyes, insecticides, and is used in some water filtration systems.
• The steel that is composed mostly of iron, is present everywhere, like in nails, staples, flatware, appliances, cookware, computers, cars, airplanes, furniture, building supports, ships, and spacecraft.

Now that you know what color the element iron is, you can be on the lookout for it.